Bowling Notes

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 75, 30 March 1939, Page 24

Bowling Notes

By "Kawi"

GAME IN U.S.A.

SAN FRANCISCO

TOURNEY

MUNICIPAL GREENS

Simultaneously with the holding of the Golden Gate International Exposition the World's Open Lawn Bowling Tournament will be played in the San Francisco Bay region. Communications have been received on the matter from Mr. Herbert J. Brooks, president of the California Lawn Bowling Association, and Mr. Norman R. Pierce, Hobart, the association's agent. It is understood that Mr. J. L. Morgan (Kelburn) is accompanying Mr. Artliur J. Parker (Auckland) and two other New Zealand bowlers to take part in the tournament, and there may be other New Zealand competitors.

Entries have been received from England, Canada, and Australia. The tournament begins on September 4 and continues until September 16. Rinks, pairs, and triples will be played. Eighteen games are assured to men and thirteen to women players.

It is proposed that Australian competitors shall leave by the Aorangi from Sydney on August 3, the New Zealand players connecting with the steamer at Auckland on August 8. The tour will take 70 days from Auckland and back and will cost £120-£125 to £185 according to the class of steamer and hotel accommodation required. There will be sight seeing trips before and after the tournament. There are 30 bowling clubs in California, whose members play on greens built and maintained by municipal Recreation or Park Commissions. Throughout the United States new greens are being planned by many municipalities which recognise the benefits of the game as a recreational feature. Easter Tournament. For the Easter fours tournament the centre has secured a good entry of 50 rinks, which contain plenty of talent, as many leading skips are taking part in the competition. C. A. Rendle (Upper Hutt), whose four won the tournament last year, is again playing. Victoria and Wellington will be represented by seven rinks each, Lyall Bay by six rinks, and Karori, Island Bay, Hataitai, and Kelburn by four rinks each, and other clubs by lesser numbers. With good weather, the tournament should be an enjoyable one. The Game in England. Mr A. H. Bath, formerly of the Khandallah Bowling Club, writing from Westward Ho, North Devon, to a Wellington friend, mentioned that he had joined the Bideford Club and found the members to be very likeable. The club was in a splendid financial position. The green was a nice one, though heavy. Improvements to the surface had been made,.and it was expected the season would open about the third week in April. Mr. Bath stated that he had played at Shaftesbury, and that all clubs m England made a charge of from 6d upwards to visitors according to the time spent on the green. The rinks for the most part were from 19ft to 21ft in width, and the minimum length of greens; was 35 yards and the maximum length « yards. In matches two trial ends were allowed, an innovation which might well be introduced into New Zealand for pennant games. max fnds are also allowed in Australia and tsewhere; in fact, the Dominion, which prides itself on being Progressive m bowling matters, seems to be the only SSS? lagging behind in this respect. Fathers' and Sons. An unusual feature of the Trades v Professions night bowling tourney at the Frankton Club's green recently was that the final was contested by two family teams, Welsh and his three sons playing Coombes and his three sons. The Welsh family won the final after a very keenly-contested game. It is very unusual to find a father and three sons comprising a rink in a bowling tournament, and it is probably the first time on record in the Waikato district :at least that a final has been contested by two rinks comprising fathers and sons. Study the Laws. A number of incidents in the centre junior champion of champions competition showed that all the players did not know the code of laws. Although this no doubt might also be said of many senior bowlers. A supply of the law booklets was sent to all clubs last year and it is assumed that a copy was supplied to all members. In one of the junior singles games there was a tie, requiring an extra end to be played. The player who had won the 21st end threw the jack in the extra end, as evidently neither he nor his opponent knew that the right to make the throw should have been decided by the toss of a coin for any extra end or ends played. In another case the kitty was short-thrown, and on being returned was again thrown by the same player instead of by his opponent. The opponent of the last player is required to pick up the mat. This was not always done. The law reads: "Do not throw the mat, but lift and place it on the bank." In one case the players at one end consistently left the mat overhanging the bank, and kindly-disposed spectators got tired of pulling the mat into a safe position. A kitty or toucher striking an overhanging mat becomes dead. The main cause of a competitor in a local club's singles championship losing last year was through a mat being left hanging over the bank and a driven kitty striking it. Rinks or Fours. Some months ago attention was called in these columns to the fact that the new term "fours" for "rinks" was not catching on with either bowlers or bowling writers. A telling instance which indicated that even bowling authorities did not generally welcome the changed term was shown by the fact that of thirteen posters which reached Wellington about approaching Christmas tournaments at various centres no fewer than eleven described the games to be played as "rinks" and not "fours."

If the new term dies a natural death, as "Driver," the bowling writer in the "Auckland Weekly," suggests it may, then, he considers, the council members will only have themselves to blame, for they stultified themselves by their hasty decision of July to introduce it. Their instructions were that all proposed amendments to the laws in the revision which lasted from July, 1936, to July, 1938, should be circulated to all the centres, the council to make the final decision. This was not done. The Wellington and Dunedin executives made up reviews

of their own, but in neither review was there a hint of altering "rinks" to "fours," whereas if it had been in accordance with the council's instructions it would have had to run the gauntlet of all the 22 centres like all) other proposals. Australia has "fours," but "rinks" is still good enough for Home, South African, Canadian, and American bowlers. Where's Kitty? During the Dominion bowling tournament at Auckland a rink game in j section play had reached an exciting final stage. There were fourteen bowls clustered in a close head round the, kitty, which could not be seen from! the other end. Anxious to make a: close draw one of the skips called out I to his third player, "Where's the kitty?" meaning, of course, behind which br>wl did she lie. A non-player on the bank, evidently thinking he was helping things on, and carried away, by his interest in the game, at once cried out, "It's about a yard in front of that fat bloke's foot, mister!" The broad smiles of everybody helped the team a minute later, when the skip, having recovered from the shock and been told by his No. 3 of the exact position, drew a toucher and won the game. Wellington Club. The final game in the Wellington Club's percentage fours competition, played on Tuesday last, was won by C. Hoffeins, T. W. Coutts, L. J. Cronin, T. H. Meadows (s), by 17-15, against H. Parkin, R. H. Popple, A. Simpson, F. A. Edwards (s). The chilly wind was not conducive to good play. It was 3-all and then 6-all on the. eighth end. Meadows, with better general support, went ahead and was 17-8, with two ends to go. Edwards got 3 with a drive and his rink added 4 in the final end. On Wednesday evening, April 13, the club will have a social gathering, when card games and billiards will be played, followed by supper. It is proposed to form a choir in connection with the social club. In the centre Easter fours tournament the club will be represented by seven rinks. Hataitai Club. , The. Hataitai Club held its annual gala day on March 23, when rinks from various local clubs enjoyed a very pleasant day's play and entertainment. Following the welcome tendered by Mr. W. Moult, president, the visitors were introduced in humorous vein by -Mr. W. Allan. The first prize to visitors was won by the Wellington

four, that for the best Hataitai players by P. McWhannell's team, and for being the most fortunate player by G. Halliday (Porirua). The winner of the simultaneous one-bowl opening of play competition was Turnbull (Hataitai). Rain at midday on Saturday delayed play at Hataitai, and slowed down the green for the semi-finals of the club percentage rinks, which were not commenced until 3.30. Mostori and B. T. Martin registered somewhat easy wins, and will play off the final next Saturday. The rinks and scores were:— Turnbull, Gibson, Chisholm, Moston (s), 19; Bulland, Johnstone, Strangemure, Kershaw (s), 9. Stewart, Reed, Nelson, B. T. Martin (s), 31; Cox, Jourdain, Anderson, Wells (s), 22. The two-bowl pairs and McKenzie Cup (handicap singles) have reached the concluding stage, and should be completed in a few days.